


Sooner or Later

by OlicityandKlaroline



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-01-03
Updated: 2017-04-11
Packaged: 2018-05-11 08:03:15
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 8,395
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5619577
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OlicityandKlaroline/pseuds/OlicityandKlaroline
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Description: Oliver, the stereotypical scrawny nerd, and Felicity, the beautiful and popular genius, have been the closest that best friends could possibly be, practically each other’s other halves. Until Felicity leaves for an incredible education opportunity in Europe. Coming home to Starling City years later, Felicity sees that her once geeky best friend has changed, drastically. Can the two of them be as close as they were before she left? Or have the two of them changed too much?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Homecoming

CH.1: Homecoming

 

We’re all standing with our backs against the wall  
Sooner or later  
Waiting on a phone that never calls, at all  
Heartbreak comes, rolling in like a storm  
Sooner or later  
Trying to swim but you’re sinking like a stone, alone

 

Felicity fidgeted in her seat, checking her watch. It wouldn’t be long before the plane touched down at the airport, ending her long flight back home.

Felicity smiled. She had been gone for far too long. 

Taking her phone out of her pocket, Felicity looked through her pictures, coming to a stop on an older one. She smiled down at it, remembering when it was taken. The picture was from one of the happiest days of her life. She, Oliver, Tommy, Laurel, Thea, and Sara were at Felicity’s going away party. She had gotten early admission to Oxford, and would be leaving the next day. So, of course there had to be a party to celebrate.

 

Queen Manor backyard, 4 years ago

The small party was in full swing. Robert was grilling hamburgers and hot dogs, and Moira was setting out chips and soda and other junk foods. Felicity’s mom was inside with Quentin, her husband. Everyone else was sitting by the pool. Everyone except Oliver. Felicity looked around the backyard, but he was no where to be found. Putting on her bathing suit cover-up and walking over to where Mrs. Queen was standing, she asked, “Hey, Moira?”

“Yes, sweetheart?”

“Do you know where Oliver is?”

“I believe he’s still in his room. Would you mind going up and getting him? Robert said the food is almost ready.”

“Sure.”

 

Felicity knocked on the door before opening it. “Oliver? You in here? Your dad says the food’s ready.”

She looked around the room that was almost as familiar as her own. The big windows, the perpetually messy bedcovers because Oliver apparently was against making his bed, and his massive flat screen TV where he and Tommy would spend way too much time playing video games. She and Oliver had spent countless nights in this room, sometimes working on homework, sometimes bonding over tech, sometimes spending hours just talking to each other, about anything and everything. 

Hearing a noise from the direction of the bathroom, Felicity turned to see Oliver coming out of it. Fully clothed.

Felicity smiled. “Oliver, you do realize this is a pool party. And since it’s my pool party, I hereby order you to get in the pool at least once.”

Oliver sighed and went over to his desk while lookin at Felicity. “Lis, you know how I feel about that. I don’t like having to take my shirt off,” he said as he moved his hand around the desk, feeling for his glasses.

Felicity walked over to the nightstand, where his glasses actually were, and handed them to him. “Oliver, it’s not like I invited our entire class. It’s just us and our closest friends. Our family. They, of all people, are not going to judge you just because you happen to be a little pale.”

Oliver put his glasses on, finally able to see. “And you can say that because you’re beautiful. And intelligent. And popular. And leaving tomorrow,” he said morosely. 

Felicity put her arms around her best friend, holding him tightly. Oliver’s arms immediately went around Felicity’s waist. Still holding him, Felicity said, “I’m not leaving forever. It’s just college, and I’ll be home every month. It’s not like I’m dropping off the face of the earth.”

Oliver held his best friend tighter. More than anything, he didn’t want her to go. Felicity was the only one who really understood him. Despite the fact that the rest of the people down in the backyard were true friends of Oliver’s, and he knew that they would always be, Oliver and Felicity were connected on a deeper level. Even the rest of their friends knew that. And Oliver would by far be the one she missed the most while she was in Europe.

Pulling back slightly, Felicity looked Oliver in the face. She raised her hand to cradle his cheek. His eyes closed his eyes at the contact, leaning into her touch. 

“Oliver, look at me.”

Oliver’s eyes met hers.

“It’s not forever.”

Oliver scoffed and looked down, but Felicity brought his face back up to hers. “I’m serious. I am not going to be gone forever. If you want, I will call you every day. I’ll email you, I’ll even write you letters. You and I will be fine. I’ll be home before you know it.”

Oliver sighed, his hands still around her waist. “I’m just worried that when you go off to Europe, you’ll meet all new people, and you’ll forget all about us back here.”

“Oliver, you know me too well. And I could never just forget my other half. Honestly, I think I’ll miss you so much I won’t even want to leave my room,” Felicity chuckled.

Oliver laughed at that, bringing Felicity into another hug. They stood like that until they heard a knock on the door. Moira poked her head in, saying, “Oliver? Felicity? The food is ready and you know we can only hold Tommy back for so long.”

The two teenagers smiled at that. Felicity turned to Oliver. “Ready?”

Oliver took a deep breath. “Ready.”

 

Attention passengers, this is your captain speaking, we are about to make our descent into Starling City. Please fasten your seatbelts and put away all electronics. Thank you.

The sound of the announcement brought Felicity out of her memory. She quickly put her phone back in her pocket and her seatbelt on. She was finally home.

 

Ok! There’s chapter 1. Unlike my other song fic, a section of the lyrics from “Sooner of Later” by Mat Kearney will precede the chapter. Hope you guys liked this first bit!


	2. After So Many Years

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! It has been WAAAAAYYY too long since I visited this story. This is the next chapter of my multichap songfic for Mat Kearney’s “Sooner or Later”. If you haven’t heard this song, go listen to it. It’s one of my favorites! 
> 
> I’m also in the process of continuing my other multichaps that have been sitting un-finished for far too long. 
> 
> Hope you guys like it!

CH.2: After So Many Years

And I can feel fire in the night waiting here  
Baby it’s like we’re walking on a wire through the fear  
Take my hand, we’ll get there

Sooner or later, I swear we’re gonna make it, we’re gonna make it,  
Sooner or later, I swear we’re gonna make it, we’re gonna make it  
Milk and honey ‘til we get our fill  
I’ll keep chasing it, I always will  
Sooner or later, I swear  
We’ll make it there  
Sooner than later  
Sooner or later  
Sooner than later  
Sooner or later

 

Oliver checked his watch for the fifth time. The plane had landed almost 10 minutes ago, and there was still no sign of Felicity. Impatient, Oliver stood up on his chair so he could see over the crowd. His eyes scanned the faces coming out of the tunnel, searching for her brown hair and quirky glasses. Still not seeing her, he began to wonder of he got the wrong flight, until a flash of color caught his eyes. When he looked closer, he grinned.

Felicity stood at the baggage claim, struggling to pull her bright pink suitcase out from underneath a pile of other luggage. Oliver was most likely looking for her. At that thought, a smile touched her face, even though she was still pulling on her suitcase. 

Oliver. 

She had missed him so much during her time away. The first few months had been hard on her without having her friends, especially him, by her side. Trying to live without half of herself took some adjusting. Of course, the constant Skype sessions and emails and calls and texts had eased the loneliness somewhat, but she had still missed Oliver fiercely. 

And she would get to see him in just a couple minutes. If only her stupid suitcase would budge. 

She gave the handle one more hard yank, unaware of her footing. The handle slipped from her grasp and she began falling backwards, but instead of falling to the ground, she fell into a set of arms. Looking up at her rescuer, she locked gazes with a familiar pair of blue eyes.

“Oliver.”

0o0o0

At first he wasn’t sure if the girl tugging on the pink suitcase was his Felicity. That was until he heard her muttering to herself.

“Come on! Fracking suitcase…Why do you have to be so difficult?”

Oliver knew her voice anywhere. 

Walking up behind her, he reached the baggage claim just in time to catch her as she fell backwards. His gaze dropped to meet Felicity’s blue eyes.

“Oliver.”

0o0o0

Handsome. SO handsome. 

Felicity heard Oliver chuckle as he helped her up. Her eyes closed briefly as she realized she had said that out loud. But when you come home after a few years, expecting to see your relatively nerdy best friend, and you get muscles and smolder and a jawline that can cut glass instead, who can blame you?

“You dyed your hair.”

Felicity blinked up at him as she heard what he said. She looked him up and down. “And you…got big. Seriously, what happened? You didn’t do something stupid, like take steroids, right? Because those are really bad for you-”

Oliver placed his hands on her shoulders. 

“Felicity.”

She stopped mid-babble. Oliver smiled down at his best friend. “I had a growth spurt two years ago. Tommy decided that I had to put up or shut up, so we began working out together. There were no steroids involved.”

“None?”

“Nope.”

“Huh.” Without thinking, Felicity’s hand reached up to touch his very firm chest. “I’ll have to thank Tommy when I see him, then. You have definitely grown up.”

“Felicity?”

“Hm?” she asked absently, still staring at his chest. She felt Oliver’s finger underneath her chin, tilting her head up.

“While I’m glad you seem to approve of my change in physique, we are standing in the middle of the baggage claim. How about we move out of the way?”

That snapped Felicity out of her perusal of Oliver’s newly improved body. “Right! Uh, the only thing I brought with me is the one bag. Everything else I had shipped. They should arrive at the house any day.”

Oliver grabbed her suitcase with one hand like it weighed nothing. He took her hand with his other one, and looked down at Felicity. 

“You ready to go home?”

Felicity looked down at their joined hands, noting the sense of completeness she felt. Her eyes met his once again.

“I’m ready.”

 

Aaaand there is chapter 2! Fair warning, there will be NO angst in this story. This version of Olicity is incapable of being anything but ridiculously fluffy!


	3. Welcome Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! Here is chapter 3. I gotta say, I am loving this story. Oliver and Felicity are so cute around each other!

Ch. 3: Welcome Home

We’re all waiting on a dream that’s hard to own, sooner or later  
Trying to feel the high without the low, you know  
But you can feel fire in the night lying here  
Baby it’s like we’re walking on a wire through the fear  
Take my hand, we’ll get there 

 

After finding a suitable song on the radio for background music, Felicity looked at Oliver in the driver’s seat. 

“Soooo?”

Oliver chuckled. “Soooo what?”

Felicity hit his shoulder lightly in reproach. “What’s new? What has been going on in my absence? I mean, I understand that your lives must be dreadfully boring when I’m not around, but surely there must be some news, right?”

Oliver thought for a moment. “Let’s see…. Well, mom and dad created an Applied Sciences division a few years ago, and it’s been our fastest growing sector of the company and has nearly tripled the amount of investors and revenue in Queen Consolidated, uh… two years ago Tommy and Laurel finally decided to see of they could be more than just could friends and now they’re so disgustingly sweet around each other I feel like I’m going to get cavities just by looking at them-”

“So Tommy finally manned up, did he?”

Oliver smiled in memory. “Actually, it was Laurel.”

Felicity gasped comically. “Seriously?”

“Yup. Make sure to ask them about it at the party.”

Felicity laughed, “Oh, I totally will.”

Oliver took a moment to savor the sound of her laughter. Every time he glanced over at the passenger seat, it hit him that she was really here, that she was really home. 

“Okay, so what else has happened?”

“Um… Sara finally came out.”

Felicity gaped at Oliver. “Really? And how did that go?”

“Not nearly as bad as she thought it would, her parents had already figured it out and they made sure she knew that they still supported and accepted her, but I think that Sara might have wanted to tell her family differently.”

“How did she do it? Oh, please tell me she didn’t blurt it out during one of Quentin’s famous daddy-daughter lectures.”

Oliver shook his head grinning. “No, it didn’t happen like that. Her mom, uh… walked in on Sara making out with her girlfriend.”

Felicity cringed in sympathy. “I can see how that might have been awkward.”

“Yeah. Good news is they’re still together and they will both be at the party.”

“So Sara’s parents didn’t scare her off?”

“Apparently not.”

“Now I definitely need to meet this girl. What’s her name?”

“Nyssa. She’s…quiet, but she’s good to Sara. They seem to really love each other.” 

Felicity smiled, looking out the window. Watching the trees whiz by, she was struck at how it seemed like all her friends were already settling down.

“So how is Thea? Last time I saw her, she was getting ready to enter middle school.”

For the first time since he got Felicity at the airport, Oliver frowned. And Felicity noticed. 

“Uh-oh. Did something happen? Is Thea okay? What’s wrong?”

“She has…”

“What? What does she have? A disease? Cancer? A brain tumor? Is she dying?” Felicity’s tone became increasingly worried as her line of questioning got more life-threatening.

“She has a boyfriend.” Oliver’s tone of voice made his disapproval very clear.

Felicity stared at him. Then started slapping him on the arm. 

“Ow, ow! Hey! I’m driving! What’s that for?!”

“You scared the crap out of me! I thought something terrible had happened!”

“Something terrible did happen! My baby sister is sucking face with a boy! One who does not deserve her, I might add!”

“Ugh!” Felicity huffed and fell back into her seat. “You are so overprotective. What’s his name?”

“Huh?”

“Thea’s boyfriend. He must have a name. Despite what you might call him in your head,” Felicity said, grinning.

Oliver looked over at her, adoration in his eyes. “You still know me so well.”

“Of course I do,” Felicity said, leaning her head against his muscular shoulder. “We’re each other’s better half.”

Oliver dropped a kiss on the top of her head. “That we are.”

The two of them spent a few minutes in companionable silence, listening to the music playing on the radio until Felicity spoke up again. 

“So what’s his name? Really.”

Oliver sighed. “His name is Roy. And I don’t like him.”

Felicity giggled. “Of course you don’t.”

0o0o0

Oliver and Felicity laughed at the giant banner spelling out “WELCOME HOME FELICITY” hanging from the double doors that served as the entrance to the Queen mansion. Felicity looked at Oliver and joked, “Do you think they know I’m coming home today?”

Oliver played along with, “No, not at all. That’s for someone else named Felicity.”

“Ah,” she said, nodding in mock seriousness. 

Having parked the car, they grabbed Felicity’s bag from the trunk and headed inside. Before Felicity could open the door, however, it was thrown open. 

“Welcome home!”

Felicity startled slightly at the loud greeting. However, seeing both her parents and Oliver’s parents, as well as all of her friends, made her almost teary-eyed with happiness. 

“Oh my god, hi everyone! You’re all here!” laughed Felicity as she went to hug her parents. The three of them held each other for a few moments, reveling in the family reunion. Her father bent down to whisper in her ear. “I’m so proud of you, baby girl.” Tears formed in Felicity’s eyes. She had missed her parents so much. Donna pulled back slightly, happy tears running down her face. 

“My beautiful girl is home!” she sobbed. “I missed you so much! Oh, look at you! You’re all grown up!”

Pecking her mom on the cheek, Felicity said, “I missed you too, mom. I missed everyone.”

Still in her parents’ arms, she heard Tommy say, “Of course we’re here, Lis! Where else would we be? Our best friend is home!” He pulled her in for a tight bear hug, nearly lifting her up off the ground. 

“Okay, okay, it’s our turn, Tommy!” Felicity turned and saw Laurel and Sara both reaching for her at the same time. Stepping into their embraces, Felicity hugged her two best girl friends as hard as she could.

“It’s good to have you home, Lis,” said Laurel.

“It’s good to be home.”

Felicity looked at Sara. “So, I hear that you have a new leading lady in your life?”

Sara sighed. “Oliver told you?”

“Of course. So, where is she?”

“In the kitchen with Raisa.”

Felicity’s eyebrows rose. “Raisa let someone else in her kitchen?”

Sara nodded smugly.

“Good for you,” Felicity said, winking.

“Lissy!” A voice from the stairs made her turn to see Thea racing down them. She flew into Felicity’s arms, chanting, “You’re home, you’re home, you’re home!”

Felicity laughed at the exuberance. “Yes, I am. It is so good to see you! And look how much you’ve grown up!” She pulled back to get a good look at her pseudo little sister. “Last time I saw you you were still wearing pig tails!”

“I traded ‘em in for an actual sense of fashion.”

The two girls hugged again, holding each other tightly, until a tap on her shoulder made her turn her head. Robert and Moira were smiling proudly down at her.

Felicity greeted her second parents with tight hugs. 

“It’s so good to have you back, Felicity,” Robert said, placing a hand on her shoulder.

She nodded in thanks as Moira said, “Sweetheart, it has been far too long.”

“Yes it has. But I’m home now, so the party can start!” she said, sparking laughter from everyone else. “So what’s the plan?”

For the first time since entering the house, Oliver spoke up. “The plan is that I’m going to get you settled for the night, and then we are all going to go out on the veranda in the back and have an awesome pool party barbecue to welcome you back!”

Cheers followed Oliver and Felicity upstairs.

0o0o0

“Your room?”

“You never had a problem sleeping in here with me before. I didn’t think there would be one now. If you want I can see if there’s another room ready-”

“No! I want-” Felicity caught herself, trying not to sound too eager. “I don’t have a problem being in here.”

“Great.” Oliver’s expression morphed into one of uncertainty. “I’ll uh… I’ll let you get changed for the pool party if you want to.”

Felicity nodded. She looked down at her suitcase, for some reason hesitating to unpack. She heard Oliver starting to walk out of the room.

Oliver had nearly reached the door when Felicity called him back. “Oliver?”

“Yeah?” he asked, turning to face her. 

Looking contrite, Felicity said, “I’m sorry.”

Oliver was confused. “Sorry for what?”

Felicity smiled, looking wistful. “Remember the last time were were in here?”

“Yeah. It was the night of your going away party. You came in here and ordered me to get in the pool at least once.”

“Yeah, I did. You remember what I promised you?”

Oliver stepped closer to her, his expression questioning. 

“I promised you that I would be home every month.”

Oliver’s face softened into an understanding expression. He stepped into her space, resting his hands on her upper arms. “Felicity, it’s okay-”

“No it’s not! I made you a promise that I would never forget you, that you could always count on me to be there! And I totally broke it! I couldn’t even make it a year before my life in Europe took over.”

“But you didn’t forget me. Ever since you got back, it’s like you never left! We’re still completely in sync with each other. And we were sixteen when you made that promise. We had no clue where our lives would lead us!”

Felicity mumbled, “Well, I had a clue-”

Oliver smiled indulgently. “Of course you did, because you had your whole life planned out.” Oliver paused, contemplating how to say what he was thinking. “Felicity, I know you promised you’d visit all the time, but I think it’s actually kind of a good thing that you ended up just staying in Europe.”

Felicity looked incredulous. “What? How could that possibly have been a good thing? We spent three years without each other!”

“And we ended up as better people because of it. You finished out your program with a degree that will pretty much guarantee you a job anywhere you want, and I finally grew into myself.”

At those words, Felicity looked Oliver up and down. Her voice came out lower and breathier than she intended. “You certainly did.”

Oliver slid his hands slowly down her arms until he held her hands in his. “Can you honestly say that you would go back and not go to Europe if you had the chance?”

Felicity’s head dropped to Oliver’s firm chest, her eyes falling shut. She responded, reluctant to say it. “No, I wouldn’t. That program was the offer of a lifetime.” Felicity looked up at him, his face suddenly close. “But that doesn’t mean that I don’t feel horrible for not coming home!”

The soft smile on Oliver’s face made Felicity’s knees shake slightly. His eyes were so blue. “You can feel horrible all you want, as long as you do it while celebrating with everyone. And, as this is a pool party, I hereby order you to get into the pool at least once,” Oliver said with a cheeky smirk.

“Oh ha ha, you’re just so funny,” Felicity responded sarcastically. 

“Now get changed! I want to get down there to watch Tommy and Sara have a hot dog eating contest and end up making themselves sick!” Oliver said with childlike glee. Felicity laughed as he left the room. 

0o0o0

Walking out into the backyard, Felicity saw that the party was already underway. Robert and her father were talking over the grill, flipping burgers and hot dogs, as well as grilling up some yummy looking vegetables. Moira and Donna were sipping drinks at the nearby table, Sara and another woman next to her. From the way they were holding hands, Felicity guessed the woman was Nyssa. Tommy was playing chicken with Thea and another guy, who Felicity figured to be Roy. Oliver was no where to be seen. 

Throwing her arms wide, Felicity laughingly shouted, “I’m here! The party can start now!”

Tommy called a time-out for their game and got out of the pool, saying, “Finally! We were worried that after so long you might have gotten lost in the house! We thought a search party might be necessary.”

Felicity backed away slowly at the mischievous look on Tommy’s face. “Ooooh no. No! Tommy, you stay over there, you hear me? You are soaking wet, while I am perfectly dry, and I would like to stay that wa-AY! Aaah! Tommy, let go!” Felicity squirmed in Tommy’s arms, trying to escape his wet drippiness that was seeping into her cover-up. She had nearly gotten free when another wet body plastered itself to her other side. Looking over, she saw Thea giggling. Looking around for help, she saw Oliver coming through the doorway with Raisa, a platter of food in his hands. 

“Oliver! Help! Come save me from these evil pool monsters!” Felicity couldn’t help but laugh as she said it. Suddenly feeling something cold at her back, Felicity looked to see Laurel squeezing out the water from her long hair all over Felicity’s back.

“Oh jeez, that is cold! Oliver!”

Oliver set the platter down on the table and swung Felicity up into his arms, easily rescuing her. Carrying her bridal style, he began to walk past their friends. 

Patting his chest, Felicity moved to let herself down, but Oliver’s hold tightened. “Oliver, you can let me go now. I’m safe. You filled your heroic quota for the day.”

Oliver let out a mock evil laugh. “Oh, fair maiden, I am no hero. I am the villain!”

“Oliver, you had better not do what I think you’re going to do! Don’t you dare!” Felicity began struggling in earnest, but Oliver held her fast. They were getting closer and closer to the pool.

“I’m serious! Don’t even think about throwing me in the pool!”

She could hear Tommy, Thea, and Laurel begin chanting. “Do it! Do it! Do it!”

“No! No no no no-AAAHHH!” Felicity hit the water with a massive splash, coming up sputtering.

“Oliver! What the hell?! God, you’re such a meany pants!”

He guffawed at the name, and then did something that managed to leave Felicity speechless. 

He took off his shirt.

And Felicity couldn’t help but stare. 

Whatever he and Tommy were doing when they were exercising worked, because Felicity had never seen abs like that. And below that? That V-shaped thing at his hips that was cut off by his low slung board shorts? Felicity was glad that she was in the pool, because if she had been on dry land when she saw those, she was sure her knees would have buckled. She licked her lips, the way she wanted to lick that V. 

Good god. Oliver was hot. 

While she had been staring, Oliver dived into the pool.

Breaching the surface next to her, Oliver smiled at the slightly glazed look on her face. 

“Wow. I guess you don’t have an aversion to taking your shirt off in front of people anymore?”

Oliver smirked. Felicity had never seen that kind of smile on his face before. It almost looked…flirtatious. “Well, if you’ve got it, flaunt it.”

Felicity’s laugh could be heard throughout the manor.

 

ITS SO FLUFFY!!!!!!!! And thus, chapter 3 is finit! As always, let me know what you thought!


	4. Truth or Dare

Sooner or later, I swear we’re gonna make it, we’re gonna make it,  
Sooner or later, I swear we’re gonna make it, we’re gonna make it  
Milk and honey ‘til we get our fill  
I’ll keep chasing it, I always will  
Sooner or later, I swear  
We’ll make it there  
Sooner than later, sooner or later 

 

Felicity managed to get out of the pool without any further pranks from Oliver or the rest of her friends. Tommy had gotten back in and was talking to Oliver as they rested their arms on the ledge of the pool. Thea and Laurel were sitting in the lounge chairs near them, so they all could speak to each other. 

Stopping at the chair next to Thea, Felicity kicked off her now squishy sandals and set them aside to dry. Looking around, Felicity couldn’t find any place to hang her dripping cover-up, which was still on her. So, she moved the towel draped over the chair out of the way, and proceeded to take off her soaked cover-up. Stepping over to the edge of the pool, Felicity squeezed as much water out of the fabric as she could before shaking it out and draping it over the back of the chair where the towel used to be. 

She was about to sit down when she noticed that her friends had gone quiet. She looked around to see them all staring at her.

“What? Why are you all looking at me?”

Thea was the first to respond. “Felicity, when did you get abs?”

“Hm?” Felicity looked down at her stomach. It looked flat, like it always had.

Laurel spoke up. “Seriously, Felicity, what do you do to work out? Kickboxing? Pilates?”

“Oh! Yoga. I took a few classes and fell in love with it. I do it every morning. Why?”

“Because you are hot! Licity, yoga is definitely working for you. Your body is smokin’!” said Tommy with an overly salacious grin. 

Felicity laughed at the pun. “Wow, Tommy, that is so original. How long did it take you to come up with that?”

“Too long. I must be losing my touch!” Everyone laughed at the mock fear in Tommy’s tone.

Felicity sat down in the chair, rubbing the towel on her legs and torso to dry them off. It didn’t escape her attention that Oliver hadn’t spoken. Sneaking a glance at him, she saw his eyes locked on something with an intensity she had never seen before. Looking down, she saw that he was looking at the towel. The towel she was rubbing all over herself. Bringing it up to wrap around her shoulders, she felt Oliver’s eyes slowly move up her body to meet hers. Felicity’s breath hitched quietly at the fire she saw in them. She unconsciously licked her lips and saw his eyes dart down to the movement. 

She could practically hear her heart pounding in her ears. 

A call from Robert at the grill broke them out of their staring contest.

“Kids! Food’s ready!”

Tommy jumped out of the pool to grab a towel and followed Laurel and Thea over to the large table where the plates were set. Felicity got up a little more slowly, making sure that she was on steady feet. She heard the quiet splash of Oliver getting out of the pool, but knew that if she turned to see his muscular, wet, probably gleaming body, she would never be able to get out of her chair. 

She wrapped her towel around her waist and started to walk over to the table, until a gentle hand on her wrist had her stopping. The heat radiating off Oliver’s body seeped into her skin. 

She broke out in goosebumps. 

Felicity felt Oliver’s warm breath on her ear and his other hand lightly brushing the small of her back.

“You look beautiful. You always have.”

Felicity smiled, turning to thank him when her eyes locked with his again and she realized his face was right there. Their eyes locked again and held, until Tommy’s voice disrupted them.

“Hellooo! Starving people over here! You two gonna come and eat or what?”

Felicity blinked and looked down, feeling her cheeks reddening slightly. His hands were still on her back and wrapped around her wrist. Felicity slowly stepped away from Oliver and said, “We should uh…probably head over there.”

“Yeah.”

Felicity headed toward the food, but was stopped again by Oliver.

“Felicity?”

She looked back at him. “Hm?”

“Can we…talk…later?”

The slightly nervous look on his face had Felicity confused. Did he think she would say no?

“Of course we can. After the party?”

“Sure.”

“Great. Now, I don’t know about you, but I’m pretty hungry. What do you say we grab some food before Tommy eats it all?”

Oliver grinned as the two of them went over to the party. 

“Sounds like a plan.”

0o0o0

They had decided to convene in Oliver’s room. 

Moira and Robert had gone off to bed, and Donna and Noah had gone home to their house, and Felicity would be joining them tomorrow. Felicity, Oliver, Tommy and Laurel, Thea and Roy, and Sara and Nyssa all headed up to Oliver’s room, Tommy with two bottles of wine in his hands. Their parents made them swear not to give any to Thea or Roy before they were allowed to take the bottles. 

After having played a hilarious game of Never Have I Ever with the wine that managed to turn for the raunchy because of Tommy and Sara asking ridiculous questions, everyone save for Thea and Roy were working up a decent buzz. 

At least, until Thea suggested they play Truth or Dare.

Oliver groaned. “Seriously, Speedy? Are we in middle school?”

“Oh, come on Ollie, it’ll be fun! And don’t call me Speedy.”

“I don’t know if fun is the word I’d use, Speedy,” Oliver said, giving his little sister a look. 

“Last time was a fluke. And none of us thought you’d do it!”

“Wait a minute,” Felicity chimed in. “Are you talking about the time that Oliver was dared to jump into the pool naked from his parents’ balcony and ended up breaking his wrist?”

Oliver looked at Felicity, surprised. “How did you know about that?”

“Tommy told me in one of his letters.”

“Oh, he did, did he?” Oliver glared at Tommy, who had a much too innocent look on his face. “Did he tell you that he was the one who dared me?”

“He forgot to mention that bit,” Felicity said, slowly, looking at Tommy.

He held his hands up. “In my defense, none of us thought he would do it.”

“Tommy, Oliver has never backed down from a dare in his life, no matter how crazy it was. What made you think he would stop there?”

“A sense of self-preservation?”

Everyone laughed at that. Then Thea went back to pleading. “Please, Ollie? Just a few rounds? After that Roy and I will leave you alone so the ‘adults’,” she made quotation marks with her fingers, “can catch up.”

Oliver looked at Felicity, who shrugged. 

He sighed in resignation. “Fine. But no naked dares! That’s a rule.”

“As long as we make it rule that if someone backs out, they have to drink.”

“Deal.” Brother and sister shook hands like they had finished a business deal. Everyone got comfortable, and then Tommy spoke up. 

“Felicity, since you are the guest of honor, would you like to start?”

“Ok, hmmm…” she looked around at her friends, deciding who to pick. “…Sara.”

She sat up at being chosen. 

“Truth or Dare?”

“Sara thought for a second, then said, “Truth.”

“How did you and Nyssa get together?”

Felicity saw said woman scoot slightly closer to her girlfriend and lean against her shoulder. Sara nudged back before replying, “I had decided to take a class offered at the fitness center. I didn’t know it was a self-defense class. Nyssa was the instructor, and… I don’t know, we just sort of…clicked. For our first date, we went out and had black-and-white milkshakes and took a walk around the plaza together. It was really nice.”

Everyone awwed at the story, and Sara gave her girlfriend a peck on the cheek. Then she said, “My turn! I pick…Roy.”

“Do your worst.”

“Truth or Dare?”

“Dare.”

“I dare you to…sing the Barbie Girl song. And sing like you mean it.”

Roy groaned in protest, but stood up and moved to where there was some more space. Oliver looked at Tommy, who then stealthily got out his phone and began to record.

Except Roy saw it. “Come on, man! Really?”

Tommy just laughed and said, “Yup! Now come on and sing your heart out!”

Roy sighed in resignation, and began to sing.

 

I’m a Barbie girl, in a Barbie world  
Life in plastic, it’s fantastic  
You can brush my hair, undress me everywhere  
Imagination, life is your creation

Come on Barbie, let’s go party!

Ah, ah, ah, yeah!

 

Everyone applauded his performance, and Tommy quickly saved the video on his phone. He was definitely going to post that later. 

“Alright, Roy, who will your choice be?”

“I choose…Thea.”

She turned toward her boyfriend and gave him a think very carefully about what comes out of your mouth look. 

“Truth or Dare, babe?”

“…Truth.”

“When did you first realize you liked me?”

“…When you helped out your friend Sin after she was mugged. Until then I thought you were just some jerk, but after that I saw you a little differently. And you never spoke to me differently just because my last name is Queen. You treated me like a normal person. That’s always something I’ve loved about you.”

Roy smiled and leaned in to kiss her sweetly. Oliver cleared his throat loudly, but Thea waved him off, her lips still on Roy’s. She then leaned back against his chest and he put his arms around her waist. Having gotten comfortable, Thea said, “Alright, it’s my turn, so I choose…Oliver.”

He froze at the look on Thea’s face. She was totally planning something.

“Truth or Dare?”

“…Dare.”

“You asked for it. I dare you…to kiss Felicity. On the lips!”

Both Oliver and Felicity froze, along with nearly everyone else in the room. Roy and Nyssa looked around, confused. Tommy looked sharply at Thea, mouthing, “What are you doing?”, but she just smiled and winked at him.

Felicity turned to face Oliver and smiled softly.

“Never back down from a dare, right?”

“Right,” he said softly, looking into her eyes for any hesitation, any sign that she didn’t want to go through with it. He wanted to be sure.

Felicity read the question in his eyes, and nodded slightly. Oliver began to lean in towards her, his eyes wandering down to her lips. Had they always looked so soft?

Felicity was nervous. This was her best friend. Her other half. The person she could always count on to be there for her. The one she loved more than anything. Oliver was such an integral part of her life. Would that be gone with one dare?

As Felicity’s mind was spinning with overthinking the potential complications, Oliver’s mind was oddly focused. He had hoped to talk to Felicity later on, after everyone else had gone home, but apparently Thea wasn’t going to let him wait that long. 

He leaned in even closer, so close that he could just feel her lips a breath away from his. He waited there, for her to make the final move. 

After a beat, Felicity slowly pressed her lips against his. Their eyes drifted shut as everything around them seemed to melt away. 

Felicity’s mind went quiet the moment her lips touched Oliver’s. All she could think about was how soft they felt on hers. Like little pillow mountains. 

She also couldn’t get over the sensation of rightness that came from the kiss. She almost wondered why she hadn’t kissed him before.

All Oliver could feel was her. Her mouth pressed against his. The soft skin of her cheek against his fingers as he lifted his hands to cup her face. Some voice at the back of his mind seemed to sigh, finally. 

He just wanted to keep kissing her. 

He tilted his head and kissed her with a little more pressure, opening his mouth slightly to deepen the kiss. 

She responded in kind. Her hands came up to rest on his forearms, lightly squeezing. 

One of his hands slid to cup the back of her head, gently massaging her scalp. 

Felicity sighed into his mouth at the feeling. 

And that sound made him snap.

The hand not on her head slid down to her waist and pressed her body to his, holding her tightly. Her arms wrapped around his neck, one hand cupping his cheek and the other scratching slightly down his back over his shirt. He shuddered at the feeling. 

Oliver slowly caressed her bottom lip with his tongue, kissing her more fervently. He moaned under his breath at her taste. Oliver began to pull Felicity onto his lap, when a loud throat clearing permeated their little bubble. He could feel Felicity freeze in his arms. The two of them pulled back from from each other a few inches, and their eyes met. 

Oliver could see the confusion and desire warring in her eyes. He was sure that Felicity could see those same emotions in his. He really needed to talk to her later.

“Well. That was interesting.”

The sound of Thea’s smug voice made Oliver glare at his little sister and made Felicity hide her face in his shoulder.

“Speedy…” he growled.

She was about to respond when Tommy spoke up. “Okaaay, I think it’s time we let this party wind down. Laurel and I are gonna head home. Sara? Nyssa? You two need a ride?”

Nyssa stood up and held out a hand for Sara. “No, thank you, Thomas, but you are right. We should be getting home. Thank you very much for the party, we had a wonderful time.” The two of them said goodnight and left the room, Tommy and Laurel behind them. Tommy stopped at the door and turned around. 

“Dinner tomorrow? You in or out?”

“I’ll text you and let you know. Thanks for the offer,” Oliver responded. He then turned to look at Roy and Thea as Tommy left. 

Catching the look her brother was throwing her, Thea got up from her seat and pulled her boyfriend with her. Taking his hand, she began to walk out of the room, saying, “Good night, big brother, Felicity! I’m just going to walk Roy to his bike. I’ll see you two in the morning.”

With her exit, the quiet sound of Oliver’s door closing could be heard.

The room was silent. 

Felicity was still sitting nearly on top of him. She got out of his lap and moved back to her seat on the couch. 

She took a deep breath, biting her bottom lip. She then 

“So…Should we have that talk now?”

 

So there is chapter 4! Things got a little hot and heavy, didn’t they? Hope you guys liked it!


	5. Acknowledged and Requited

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lovey-dovey fluffy slightly steamy goodness. Seriously, that's kind of all it is.

CH. 5: Acknowledged and Requited

The fear inside, the hills we’ve climbed  
The tears this side of heaven,   
All these dreams inside of me  
I swear we’re gonna get there  
Sooner or later, we’re gonna make it

Oliver

Oliver swallowed nervously. He wasn’t quite sure of how to begin. Even though his best friend had been home for less than a day, it was becoming increasingly clear to Oliver that something was changing between them. He just hoped that she noticed it as well. 

Something warm enveloped his hand, that had been resting on his knee. He looked down to see Felicity’s brightly-nailed hand grasping his. He looked at her, his eyes meeting hers.

Her eyebrows rose in a questioning look. “Are you okay, Oliver?”

He nodded, a small smile on his face. He turned around his hand to take hers in return. “I’m fine.”

“What did you want to talk to me about?”

Oliver took a deep breath and looked down at their entwined hands. “It’s just… I’m not quite sure how to say this. But the thing is, I know that once I do, things will never be the same with us. And I can’t lose you.” Oliver looked into her eyes, pleading with her to understand.

Felicity leaned forward slightly, her hand coming up to rest on his cheek. “Oliver, not matter what you have to say to me, you will never lose me, okay? Don’t you ever think that.”

Oliver’s eyes closed momentarily at the feel of her hand on his cheek, but they opened again at the intense tone of Felicity’s voice. 

Staring into her eyes, Oliver decided to simply say it.

“Felicity… I love you.”

Oliver watched her face soften as she immediately responded with, “I love you, too, Oliver. I always have.”

“No, Felicity.” He reached up and took the hand on his cheek, holding it tightly. He brought it up to his lips and placed a soft, lingering kiss on her knuckles, internally rejoicing at the zing of electricity that   
came with the contact. With eyes still locked with hers, he allowed everything that he had been feeling to come forth. 

Felicity’s breath caught audibly as she read them in his gaze. 

“I’m in love with you. I think I always have been. I definitely knew that I was when I watched you walk away from me in that airport on the way to your flight to Europe. Which I know is the absolute worst timing ever, so I didn’t say anything. And writing it in a letter seemed really anticlimactic. I just know that I have always loved you so much, and I missed you like crazy when you went to Europe. And I’ve always loved how you feel when I hold you. And when you made that sound when we kissed because of Thea’s dare, I wished we were alone, because I really didn’t want to stop.”

Oliver paused to take a breath, still looking at Felicity. After waiting for a moment without seeing a reaction from her, Oliver nervously said, “Felicity, please say somethi-”

He was cut off by Felicity pressing her lips to his. It took him a second to respond and kiss her back, but when he did, it was just as ardent as she had kissed him. Felicity wove her fingers into his short hair and tugged gently, sending a shiver through Oliver. His hands found her hips and pulled her onto his lap again, except this time she had a leg on either side of him, effectively straddling him. Felicity’s arms wound around his neck and his went around her waist, pressing them together from hips to lips. However, before they could go further, Felicity pulled back from the kiss, breathing heavily. She didn’t go far, though, as her forehead was pressed gently against Oliver’s and her nose brushed his once or twice, giving him Eskimo kisses. Oliver leaned forward to kiss her again, but was stopped when she pressed a finger to his lips.

“Oliver, hang on a sec,” she said, still trying to catch her breath. “Before we go any further.”

Oliver pulled back, worried. “Is something wrong? Did I move too fast?”

Felicity chuckled breathlessly. “No, everything is fine. But I think I need to say a couple things.”

“Oh. Okay.”

Felicity took a deep breath, preparing herself. She was about to pour her heart out to the one person who could truly break it. And despite the fact that Oliver returned her feelings, she was still nervous.

“Oliver, I love you too.”

Oliver smiled and was about to respond, when Felicity continued. “I know that I’ve always loved you, even when we were little. You were, and are, my best friend. My other half. I knew that we would always be in each other’s lives in some way. When I left for that program, you were the one I thought about the most. I missed our late night talks, and I missed laughing with you and Tommy over video games. I missed us. And as much as I loved Europe and being there, in your arms was always my favorite place to be because you have always felt like home to me. And when we kissed, I wished we were alone too, because I didn’t want to stop either.”

Felicity was looking at Oliver the entire time she spoke, watching his reaction. She watched his expression soften, his gaze adoring and so, so blue. But when she said that she had wanted to keep kissing him, she saw Oliver’s eyes darken that beautiful blue seemed to intensify.

He pulled her into a fierce kiss. 

This wasn’t like the last one, which was hot and wet but sweet and loving. This kiss was…sexy, and it completely stole her breath. His tongue stroked the seam of her lips softly and she sighed as they explored each other’s mouths. Her hands went into his hair again, and his hands returned to her hips, sliding down the sides to lightly grasp her thighs. She gasped into his mouth as he stood up from the couch with her in his arms. Her arms tightened around him and she pulled back from their kiss briefly to say, “Wow, those workouts really did pay off.”

Oliver chuckled and then went back to kissing her. Reaching his destination, he set her on his bed. However, before he could crawl next to her, Felicity sat up and placed a hand on his chest.

“Oliver… I don’t think we should go much further. At least not tonight.”

Oliver smiled, and gave her a lingering kiss. He smiled against her lips. “And we won’t be. Neither one of us are ready for that. I just want to kiss you for a little while longer. Then, we will get ready for bed, and instead of you sleeping here and me being on the pull-out couch, we will both sleep in the bed. And then we will wake up tomorrow morning together, and I will kiss you awake.”

“Even with my morning breath?”

“Even with your morning breath. Does that sound like a plan?”

“Yes it does. I do have one question, though,” said Felicity, laying down. She grabbed Oliver’s hand and tugged, pulling him down to the bed as well. He landed beside her, then rolled until her was holding some of his weight on his elbows on either side of her, his legs tangled with hers. Leaning on his elbows, Oliver’s hands were free to run through Felicity’s hair. 

He really liked doing that.

“What’s your question?”

Felicity smirked. “Which side of the bed do you sleep on?”

Oliver raised an eyebrow and said, “The middle.”

Felicity gasped in mock surprise, saying, “What a coincidence! I sleep in the middle of the bed, too.”

“Oh, you do, do you?”

Biting her bottom lip to keep from laughing, Felicity nodded.

“Whatever shall we do about that?” Before Felicity could respond, Oliver leaned down and placed a kiss on her neck behind her ear, and began trailing slow kisses down her neck to the collar of her shirt and   
then moving up the other side of her neck back up to her lips.

“Um… well, I’m not… really sure… what… we could do…,” was Felicity’s stilted response, her mind foggy with the very, very nice feeling of Oliver’s lips on her throat and his body pressed against hers.

Oliver pulled up suddenly and whispered against her lips. “I’m sure with our collective brainpower we could think of some sort of arrangement.”

“Later,” Felicity said, bringing Oliver’s lips back to her and kissing him enthusiastically. 

They didn’t get very much sleep.

 

So there is chapter five! I hope you all liked it. Writing fluffy Olicity is getting me through the fact that we have to WAIT for SO LONG for 5x20!


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